The benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet have been touted as far back as the Renaissance period. In the 1960s, researchers discovered that the populations bordering the Mediterranean Sea suffered substantially lower rates of heart disease -- as much as 90 percent less than Americans -- and that their diet likely played a major role. Eating in this manner appears to reduce your risk of many chronic health problems. This diet differs dramatically from the average American diet. If you have been following the typical Western diet chock full of animal protein and refined, processed foods, you have some big changes in store, but you will reap many rewards in the health department.
Core of the Diet
The core of the Mediterranean diet focuses on plant foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains and seeds. A good eating plan will include these items daily; fruits and vegetables typically accompany every meal. Food gets flavored with herbs rather than salt. Dessert typically consists of fruit; you might eat some other sweets a couple of times a week at the most.
Carbohydrates
The Mediterranean diet focuses heavily on carbohydrates. Rice, pasta, bulgur, polenta, potatoes, bread and other types of whole grains and starches form the core of each meal. Fruits and vegetables are abundant as well. The focus is on healthy carbohydrates however; the Western diet relies heavily on unhealthy carbohydrates like refined, processed foods and sugars. This is not in line with the Mediterranean style of eating.
Proteins
The Mediterranean diet gleans most of its protein from protein-rich plant foods like legumes. The Mediterranean diet pyramid, created by the international non-profit health organization Old Ways Preservation Trust, allows for daily consumption of foods like cheese and yogurt but in small amounts. You should limit foods like egg, fish and poultry to a few times a week, with fish being the most recommended item. The traditional diet only includes red meat a few times per month at best.
Fats
The Mediterranean diet is by no means a low-fat diet, and its generous inclusion of healthy fats offers many overall health benefits. Olive oil constitutes the primary fat in this diet. Cook with this oil; put it on your bread instead of butter; substitute some olive oil and herbs for a fat-laden salad dressing. Nuts and seeds also contain healthy fats and you can eat them daily, but keep portions small; regardless of the type of fat, gram for gram, they contain more than twice the calories of carbohydrates and protein.
Eating Tips
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes including a combination of the different recommended foods at every meal to make sure you get them all in your diet. Instead of just eating a piece of whole grain toast for breakfast, combine that with a cup of yogurt and some berries or a handful of nuts. Combine a hearty bean soup with a salad or a plate of vegetables. Combine whole grain pasta with a variety of chopped vegetables. Eating a wide variety of the core foods will help you get the full range of beneficial nutrients these types of foods offer.
Alcohol
The Mediterranean way of eating can include a small amount of red wine with meals. This might help reduce your risk of heart disease, explains the Mayo Clinic, but it cautions to keep intake low -- about 5 oz. daily for women and 10 oz. for men.
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